Dr. Marwa Shumo is researching on insects as an alternative resource for food and feed. The scientist from Oman has been working as a postdoc at the Leibniz Institute for  Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy since May. She is one of more than 600 young scientists worldwide who were elected from a large number of international applicants to participate in this year's Nobel Laureate Meeting. The Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting will take place from 26 June to 2 July 2021.

On her Twitter channel she calls herself "Lady of the Flies". Dr. Marwa Shumo is an expert on the black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens), a species of insect that is already used in Germany as fishmeal-free feed for carnivorous animals. And she really is passionate about her research topic: "Insects can contribute to solving some of our most crucial global problems. They can at least partially replace conventional animal food and feed and are thus an answer to climate-damaging meat consumption, overfishing and dwindling resources."

Marwa Shumo was born in Oman. This is where she began her academic career as an environmental biotechnologist at the University of Nizwa before moving to Germany. She holds a Master's degree in Environmental Sciences from the University of Cologne, completed an international doctoral programme at the Bonn International Graduate School for Development Research (BIGS-DR) and received her PhD in Agricultural Sciences from the University of Bonn in 2020. She learned to link basic knowledge and application areas such as breeding, processing and utilisation at the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) and at the Insect Technology Center (ITC) of Hermetia Baruth GmbH/Katz Biotech AG. In May, she joined the international ATB team to work in-depth on issues related to insect rearing and innovative methods for the utilisation of food waste.

In her young scientific career, she has already received several awards for her research, including the icipe Graduation Award 2020 and EIT Food Innovator Fellowship 2021. Moreover, she has been honoured for her commitment to popular science at events such as Soap Box Science and in social media. She is a Falling Walls competition winner and has just participated in the Falling Walls Lab Factory on Bioeconomy.

Marwa Shumo was 'travelling' with a virtual suitcase full of excitement to the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting, which will be held online this year: "Meeting these outstanding scientists is certainly a unique opportunity for me and the other participants to 'fill up' on inspiration and ideas," Marwa Shumo describes her expectations. "Possibly some project ideas are waiting exactly for this inspiring moment to unfold".

The opportunity to attend the annual meeting of Nobel Laureates in Lindau is offered exclusively to outstanding young scientists up to the age of 35 - students, doctoral candidates and post-docs. In order to attend the meeting, they have to pass a multi-stage application and selection process.

This year's 70th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting is taking place from 26 June to 2 July as an online event. Particularly qualified young scientists from all over the world have the opportunity to meet Nobel Laureates. The conference was launched in 1951 as a European initiative for reconciliation after the Second World War. The focus is on scientific exchange and networking - across generations, cultures and disciplines. (Further information at: www.lindau-nobel.org)

Contact:
Helene Foltan
Science Communication
Tel.: +49 (0)331 5699-820, email: presse@spam.atb-potsdam.de
Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB)
 

The Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy is a pioneer and a driver of bioeconomy research. We create the scientific foundation to transform agricultural, food, industrial and energy systems into a comprehensive bio-based circular economy. We develop and integrate techniques, processes and management strategies, effectively converging technologies to intelligently crosslink highly diverse bioeconomic production systems and to control them in a knowledge-based, adaptive and largely automated manner. We conduct research in dialogue with society - knowledge-motivated and application-inspired.
www.atb-potsdam.de/en